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Leigh High School Newspaper

CUHSD Should Offer Reduced Cost for Tests

For the first time, the San Jose Unified School District is offering a free SAT to all juniors in high school. However, the ACT is not being offered for free as it as not a widely taken as the SAT is. San Jose Unified is trying to help the greatest amount of students they can by providing a free SAT. They currently have extra funds and are investing it into their students. With 32,000 students, it is the largest district in the county. The San Jose Unified School District wants to make college more available to all students with different socioeconomic statuses.

Each SAT costs $54.50. For students who take the SAT multiple times, this can add up to a lot of money. Along with SAT prep, many students spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on the standardized test. However, not every student has enough money to pay for that many tests. Standardized testing fees are increasing by the year and some families cannot keep up with the increasing fees. The fee can stop students from taking the SAT again and improving their score. San Jose Unified has eliminated this worry by making the SAT’s free. Students no longer have to worry about not improving their scores because they cannot pay to take the test again.

Not only is San Jose Unified offering free SATs, but they are also cutting the registration fee for AP tests down to $5. A large problem with AP testing is normally the price of their tests. Many students do not register for testing because it is so expensive. At $92 a test, taking an AP test is a huge risk. For some students, they could be paying up to $500 in test fees, with no guarantee that they’ll pass. Making the AP testing fee $5 makes the test more available to a wider range of students.

Campbell Union should look at what San Jose Unified is doing, and follow their lead. Investing in their own students is a smart way to help students become more motivated about their future.